[Training] How to be whole again

Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck

Again she nodded, though unable to fathom the weight of responsibility he carried as the leader of a region. It wasn't something she'd ever sought, either, save for one brief attempt at organizing some kind of system back when tensions between Outlanders and Naturals was reaching a fever point, in the days leading up to the fall of the barrier. She had not been received well, even drove a rift between herself and friends in the process.

But the desire to go home she did know. "I wish I could join you," Maea confessed, a touch wistful. "The time I lived in Halo was among the best I've known. It's too cold for me now... I'd be a marble statue before ever reaching the Citadel." The Grounds, while a place to return to, felt more like an inevitability than a home these days. Something she failed to free herself from.

"Me? I'll... stay here in Torchline a bit longer. There's more I can do to help. After that, though..." Considering Deimos with lips pursed, she thought about the request. "I could go. Have a look around, and let you know what I find. Would you say that it's urgent?"

If it was, she might just cut her stay shorter than planned.

Maea

DEIMOS

The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head
The thunder of the drums dictates

Leadership had been a role he’d avoided well after his tenure and death within Helovia, and probably would’ve continued denying until before the war – when the necessity was there and Evie agreed to be a part of it. The weight of the mantle was heavy, but shared, even when he constantly felt the apprehensive ache that he wasn’t doing enough, that his world was safe and secure – and all the events piling up around him were not helpful in the process of reform and rejuvenation.

And he could recall the memories and tension within the Grounds when all of those notions came to a head as well – the system of supremacy after Zariah’s abysmal rule coming to the forefront and ripping portions apart. He was even more grateful now to be away from such noise and dramatics.

But he didn’t expect her initial response, and his eyes widened slightly, before lowering back to their residual, reticence stance. “An unfortunate side effect for the Ancients,” and he’d even sought to remedy it for Kiada, but even then, it could only amount to limited durations of time. “Evie and I rule together now, and she has the Academy as well.” Uncertain if they’d ever altered things between them, or if there was anything to salvage at all.

Torchline begged for assistance regardless, so he nodded at the answer. That she agreed to wandering through towards the Greatwood though alleviated another burden somehow placed along his shoulders, and for that he was grateful. “Thank you. And not necessarily. Finish what you need to do here first.” Perhaps the Fae had tucked themselves inward, and all the trepidation over the forest would be for naught.

The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead
The rising of the horns, ahead

Down and out, and out of luck, we're spinning but the needle's stuck

Unfortunate and inconvenient. Nothing made her long to go somewhere more than being unable to, and if she hadn't been so unfond of the sensation of petrification it was likely Maea would have tried visiting Halo anyway. But she wasn't quite as prone to leap headfirst into danger these days, and so she sadly closed the door to those notions.

Wished, a moment later, that she could close away her past, too. A haunted expression cast a shade over her face when Evie's name was brought up, guilt mingling with trepidation at all the memories it dredged up. Some fond, some sweet, others only bitter.
"She does? That's impressive. She's come a long way..." It was a near physical thing, the way the albinistic woman withdrew. Unprepared for a face off with that particular can of worms, and wholly unwilling to make a big deal of it. So she hid behind platitudes and polite nonsense. "Send her my regards, would you? I'm glad she's found a place for herself."

With the details of missions to plan and more work to be done elsewhere in the region, Maea was more than ready to get moving. "Alright. I'll let you know what I find. Safe travels on your way home. I'm glad I got this chance to speak with you." A swift smile, a lazy wave of a clawed hand, and the diminutive woman was walking away, off towards her boat. Not running away, she insisted to herself; just saving difficult conversation for some other time.

Maea

DEIMOS

The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head
The thunder of the drums dictates

Deimos tilted his head again at the sudden change of expression on the Ancient’s face; he’d long since learned the power of observation and scrutiny, whether it was opponents, allies, or otherwise. He’d clearly said something that sparked and flickered within her mind, and tucked the notion into his own skull. The withdrawal was nearly tangible as well, and he nearly snorted at it all. “She has. And of course.” He doubted the Evergreen’s reaction would be the same, but he'd pass the information on just the same.

Her reticence was far more overbearing than his own, so he nodded, completing the transaction and impending departure. “Thank you for your help today as well. Let me know what you find.” For knowledge and information was power, especially against whatever they were facing.

From there, he shifted and turned towards outreaches of the horizon, an eagle on the wind.

{FIN}

The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead
The rising of the horns, ahead